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ASSESSSMENT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL

(SDG 4) IN THE LIGHT OF CURRICULUM EVALUATION IN

ENUGU EDUCATION ZONE

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The sustainable development goal (SDG4) expresses a vision to Ensure inclusive

and equitable equality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for

all’(Unterhalter, 2019). This denotes a change from the narrow focus on universal

primary education in the MDG framework, and goes greatly beyond the Dakar Platform

of Action for Education for All (EFA), which accompanied the MDGs. The targets for

SDG 4 mention expanding opportunities across all phases of education pre-primary,

primary, secondary, vocational, higher and adult education. Education has remained a

social procedure in capacity building and maintenance of society for decades.

On 1 January 2016, an ambitious new plan was launched, which increased the number of

goals from eight to seventeen: (1) to eradicate poverty; (2) to end hunger; (3) to ensure

health and well-being for all; (4) to ensure quality education for all; (5) to achieve gender

equality; (6) to ensure clean water and sanitation; (7) to ensure affordable and clean

energy; (8) to promote decent work and sustainable economic growth; (9) to build

resilient and sustainable industry, innovation and infrastructure; (10) to reduce

inequalities; (11) to build sustainable cities and communities; (12) to ensure sustainable

consumption and production; (13) to take climate action; (14) to protect life below water;

(15) to protect life on land; (16) to promote peace, justice and inclusive institutions; and

(17) to strengthen the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. The 17 goals

address themes of “economic growth, social development [and] environmental

protection” and are further specified in 169 targets. While the MDGs mainly targeted

developing countries, the SDGs focus on all countries across the globe

According to Unterhalter, (2019), the SDG4 encompasses seven targets which

deal with quality and equality of education in different phases. The first three targets are
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projected to ensure that all children and adults have access to quality education from the

early years through primary, secondary, technical and university levels. The fourth target

aims to improve skills for youth and adults linked to work.

The fifth target is concerned with the distribution of educational access across a

range of demographics noting needs of people with disabilities, indigenous peoples and

vulnerable groups, this simply refers to inclusive education. additionally, the sixth target

aims to ensure literacy and numeracy for all youth and significantly reduce adult

illiteracy.

Lastly, the seventh target is the only target which deals with the content of

education which aims to develop knowledge and skills for sustainable development,

human rights, gender equality and cultures of peace and non-violence.

However, the scope of education in Nigeria during the colonial period was

narrow and lacked appropriately defined focus. The curriculum content was irrelevant to

societal needs because it created a minority elite founded on social stratification with its

associated forms of social and economic inequalities. To make education have a

definable focus, a National Policy on Education (NPE) became exceedingly essential in

Nigeria.

Curriculum is not only a sub-system of education; it is in fact the most important

aspect of any educational enterprise. Any meaningful hypothesis about the development

of any sector of the society depends on the framework provided by education in general

and curriculum in particular. For most countries, three national curricula are prescribed

and laid down by the government.

In Nigeria, for instance, the Federal Ministry of Education, through its agencies

such as the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC),

National Teacher Institute (NTI), National Education Council (NECO), National

Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), National Board for Technical Education
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(NBTE), West African Examination Council (WAEC), Joint Admissions and

Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the several other examination boards set up by state

governments, stipulate what should be studied while examinations are set based on the

syllabi derived from the curriculum.

Presently, the basic education curriculum is in operation for primary and junior

secondary schools in the country. With the demands of these initiatives, previous

curricula the content of the Primary School Curriculum Module and others could no

longer meet the needs of school leavers in terms of academic standards,

entrepreneurship, ethical, civic and moral responsibilities, among others. The gaps

recognized in the old curriculum are overloaded contents and outdated subjects which

could not provide needed support for poverty reduction and wealth creation.

There was a disconnection between subjects at primary and junior secondary

school levels, for example, primary science and integrated science; introductory

technology at the JSS level and its total absence in the primary school curriculum.

Furthermore, the old curriculum did not address communication skills, entrepreneurial

skills; and functional literacy and numeracy.

Consequently, there was a need to review, adjust and update the existing school

curricula to meet four global competitiveness. The 9-year Basic Education Curriculum is

different from the old curriculum because the existing gaps in the old curriculum have

been addressed by the new one. New subjects such as Computer studies/ICT, French and

Civic education have been introduced, while core subjects such as Basic Science and

Basic Technology have been redefined.

Curriculum contents are thematic and spiral from primary to senior secondary

school level. The Ideals of NEEDS such as value orientation, poverty eradication, job

creation and wealth generation have been taken into consideration. It covers 9 years of

continuous schooling without interruption. The philosophy behind the Universal Basic
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Education is that every learner who has successfully completed the 9 years of continuous

basic education schooling, should have acquired appropriate levels of literacy, numeracy,

manipulative, communicative and life-long skills, as well as ethical, moral and civic

values needed for laying a solid foundation for life-long learning as a basis for scientific

and reflective thinking. .

The curriculum content was irrelevant to societal needs because it created a

minority elite founded on social stratification with its associated forms of social and

economic inequalities. To make education have a definable focus, a National Policy on

Education (NPE) became exceedingly essential in Nigeria. A National Curriculum

Conference was held in 1969 and in 1973 a follow-up seminar was held; the product was

a draft document the final of which became the National Policy on Education first

published in 1977 and later revised in 1981, 1998 and 2004 (Ojumor, 2018).

The intention of the Sustainable development goal (SDG 4) is to enhance an

appropriate level of literacy and numeracy, this therefore means that upon graduation,

every student should functionally read and write, as well as carry out simple

mathematical operations, communicate effectively and put up socially acceptable

behaviour. The philosophy also indicates that it is important to implant and sustain the

culture of science and technology early in the child’s education whose results will begin

to manifest at the end of the junior secondary school.

It should be noted that most of the country’s educational policies are laudable;

but how such have been brought to fruition through innovative and creative

implementation is another issue entirely. More so, curriculum implementation is

generally acknowledged to be one of the problematic areas of institutionalized education.

This is because it involves translating a complex curriculum plan into new patterns of

action, (Ojumor, 2018).

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Introduction of UPE as a national project in 1976 etc. (Yusuf and Ajere, 2012). In

spite of all Governments efforts through its implementation strategies, funding, training

of master trainers, supervision etc, some drawbacks still existed especially in the

availability of facilities and instructional materials such as teachers guide/handbook,

management of funds, training and retraining of teachers.

For instance, Ojumor (2018) in a study carried out on twenty schools in Ekiti

state discovered a non-availability of the curriculum document in 60% of the sampled

schools. In another study by Emeka (2006), on the evaluation of UBE programme in

Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State, findings showed non availability of funds,

instructional materials and qualified teachers in most of the sampled schools.

Both researchers in their recommendations advocated for constant evaluation

and supervision of the UBE implementation strategies to ensure its proper

implementation. It is important to note that curriculum evaluation is the systematic

procedures of determining the extent to which curriculum objectives are achieved by the

consumer of the curriculum, (Ojumor, 2018).

It is also the collection and use of information to make decisions about an

educational programme, (Cronbach, 1973). Wall (2014) defined evaluation as a

purposeful, systematic, and careful collection and analysis of information used for the

purpose of documenting the effectiveness and impact of programs, establishing

accountability and six identifying areas needing change and improvement.

The two major types of evaluation are summative and formative evaluation,

depending on the purpose, timing, and procedures used. Wall (2014) stated that

summative evaluation, sometimes called outcome evaluation, is conducted for the

purpose of documenting the results of a program. Specific goals of a program are

identified and the degree of accomplishment of those goals is documented.

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The results of a summative evaluation might point to changes that should be

made in a program in order to improve it in subsequent implementations. The results of

summative evaluations can specify program status and conditions for accountability

purposes. The results can also be used as a needs assessment for the subsequent planning

of changes in a program or of the introduction of new programs and interventions.

The concept of Quality Education is based on the premise that educational aims

are met and purposes fulfilled, with quality seen “in light of how societies define the

purpose of education”. While education, including formal, informal and non-formal

awareness and training has been recognized as “a process by which human beings and

societies can reach their fullest potential”, for years, the purpose of education in

industrialized countries has been to educate a workforce, aiming at excellence in a few

core disciplines. A study conducted recently in 22 Asian countries showed that education

places emphasis on preparing students for competitive participation in the global

economy, rather than to become critical and responsible members of society in alignment

with the objectives of education for sustainable development (ESD) (Kioupi and

Voulvoulis, 2019).

The following are some questions that might be addressed by a summative

evaluation after a program has been implemented and completed: What did the program

accomplish? Did the program reach its goals and objectives? What impact did the

program have on its recipients? What were the outcomes? Was the benefit greater with

this program as compared with another program? What should be improved/changed in

the program? Does the benefit of the program warrant the cost?

Wall (2014) continued by explaining that formative evaluation, also known as

process or implementation evaluation is performed to examine various aspects of an

ongoing program in order to make changes/improvements as the program is being

implemented. This type of evaluation attempts to document exactly what is transpiring in

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a program. Data are collected and analyzed at a time when program changes can be made

to ensure that the quality of the program implementation is maintained throughout.

For example, if a career development program has been introduced in a school

district, it is important to know to what extent the program has actually been

implemented as designed. The following are some questions that might be addressed in a

formative evaluation while the program is ongoing – perhaps several times: Is the

program being implemented as it was designed? Do the students or clients understand the

program’s concepts?

What are the misconceptions about the program? Are all program implementers

implementing the program in the same way? Is the program being implemented on

schedule? Is there sufficient time to implement all aspects of the program? What aspects

of the program do not seem to be working as well as was intended? Do program

implementers need additional training on the program? Are there any negative outcomes

surfacing?

However, the summative type of evaluation has been adopted for use in this

study. This was adopted for use since the Basic Education Curriculum has been revised

although it will still be in use till 2017. Hence the result of a summative evaluation of

BEC will help in the effective implementation of the revised BEC which commenced in

September 2014 for JSS1 and primary 1 only.

The researcher did not evaluate the revised BEC because it is still in its budding

state. This decision is supported by the Connecticut State Department of Education

(2006), which asserted that any innovation introduced into a system - including a new

curriculum – requires time and support to be fully implemented. First, teachers need time

and opportunities to become aware of the new curriculum and its overall design,

particularly how it differs from the past.

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Then teachers need time and opportunities to become familiar with the new

curriculum - often school or grade level sessions that focus on those specific parts of the

curriculum for which individuals are responsible. Next, teachers need at least two years

to pilot the new curriculum and new materials in their classrooms. It is not unusual for

this period to take up to two years before the new curriculum is fully implemented and

comfortably integrated into day-to-day practice.

It is critical that the curriculum development committee, resource teachers and

principals are aware of this process and are available to nurture it. In Enugu state,

government has done a lot to improve the standard of education by renovating schools,

providing them with good facilities, etc. However, some lapses may still exist in area of

Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) implementation in terms of availability of teacher’s

guide, teachers’ knowledge of the objectives of BEC, academic performance of students

in relation to the BEC objectives etc.

This study is concerned with finding out the extent to which the Basic Education

Curriculum (BEC) has been implemented in Enugu Education Zone. This study therefore

not only seek, to evaluate the state of affair of the implementation of the Basic Education

Curriculum in junior secondary school, it also seek to; determine the level of

implementation and hence evaluate the success of the UBE program, with a view of

discovering if the facilities, instructional materials, funding and adequate qualified

teachers in use are effective in Enugu Education Zone.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The advent of sustainable development goals has brought some relative

improvement in the number of children admission in primary schools. However, gaining

access to education cannot be equated to having access to quality education. Therefore, a

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greater milestone still exists for the attainment of SDGS goal of providing quality

education.

This is evidenced in the lack of educational facilities required for learning by

pupils and lack of well ventilated classroom Blocks. Also, poor funding at the primary

school level all constitute major challenges to the SDGs. Therefore, the problem

confronting the study is an assessment of the impact of sustainable development goals on

the development of primary education in Enugu state zone in Nigeria.

The Basic Education Curriculum is the curriculum developed for use in lower,

middle and upper basic in the Universal Basic Education programme. In an attempt to

avoid problems which impeded the realization of objectives in the past curriculum, the

government outlined several implementation strategies.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main purpose of the study is an assessment of the impact of sustainable

development goal 4 in the light of curriculum evaluation in the Enugu state

Zone in Nigeria. The specific objectives include:

i. To investigate the relationship between sustainable development goal

(SDG 4) in the light of curriculum evaluation in the school in Enugu State

Zone.

ii. To examine the impact of sustainable development goal SDG 4) in the

light of curriculum evaluation in Enugu State zone in Nigeria.

iii. To understand the challenge in the sustainable development goal (SDG 4)

project in the light of curriculum evaluation in Enugu State Zone.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were raised to guide this study:

i. What is the relationship between sustainable development goal (SDG

4) in the curriculum evaluation in the Enugu State Zone in Nigeria

ii. How to examine the impact of sustainable development goal in the

curriculum evaluation in Enugu State Zone in Nigeria

iii. What are the challenges of the sustainable development goal (SDG 4)

in the curriculum evaluation in Enugu State in Nigeria

HYPOTHESIS

The following null hypothesis was formulated for testing at 0.05 level of

significance: There is no significant difference between the Assesssment of

sustainable development goal (SDG 4) of school in the light of curriculum

evaluation in the Enugu State Zone in Nigeria. students

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this study is to Assessment of the Sustainable development Goal

(No 4) in the light of Curriculum Evaluation in Enugu State Zone in Nigeria te

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Information provided in this study may enable school administrators to know

their role in the Assessment of the Sustainable development Goal (No 4 ) in

the light of Curriculum Evaluation in Enugu Education Zone Nigeria. This

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study will assist curriculum planners like Nigerian Educational Research and

Development Council (NERDC), providing them with independent feedback

on the results of the actions taken so far in the Curriculum Evaluation

programme. This will serve as basis for further action. The study may help

guide Enugu state government in identifying areas of intervention for the

successful implementation of the revised curriculum. This will help to address

all existing gaps. Finally, the study may provide useful information on

Curriculum Evaluation in Enugu Education Zone Schools. This could stimul

ate further research in assessing sustainable development Goal.

References

Boeren, E. Understanding Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on “quality

education” from micro, meso and macro perspectives. Int Rev Educ 65, 277–294

(2019). [Link]

Kioupi, V., & Voulvoulis, N. (2019). Education for Sustainable Development: A

Systemic Framework for Connecting the SDGs to Educational

Outcomes. Sustainability, 11(21), 6104. [Link]

Ojumor, F. O. (2018). Evaluation of the implementation of basic education curriculum in

junior secondary schools in Delta State central senatorial district. Master’s

dissertation, Delta State University, Abraka.

Unterhalter, E. (2019). The many meanings of quality education: Politics of target and

indicators in SDG4. Global Policy. doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12591